Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

So Long September

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Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

With temps still over 90 degrees here in the beautiful Dallas, Texas area, it’s hard to believe that we are knocking on October’s door.  But the calendar says it is so.  We filled our September days with school, work, eye exams and dermatology appointments, church, and tending to loved ones with medical conditions.  I got to attend open house at the high school for the first time.  Walking my daughter’s schedule at this 3 story behemoth left this country girl breathless and overwhelmed.  It sure dwarfs the two hallways that made up my 3A school.  I guess that’s one way these kids put all that energy to good use.  And once I finally found it, I helped decorate the girl’s locker room to commemorate the start of volleyball district play.

 

Allie’s team competed in a couple of tournaments which gave me a little PTSD from the club volleyball season.  Our girls brought home gold from the second, but Allie brought home a concussion.  This is our first foray as a family into head injuries of any kind.  And even though it is slight, trainers and doctors take these things very seriously.  She has to be symptom free for a week before she can be cleared to play, and so far she has experienced headache, nausea, dizziness and light and sound sensitivity.  She is currently doing physical therapy specifically for concussions (which I still don’t completely understand what is – for the record).  I had no idea this kind of PT existed, but apparently a combination of ocular exercises, balance work, cardio, and hand eye coordination drills can help the brain reorient more quickly.

 

On the 19th, a new Sparks was born.  A little 5lb 13 oz sweet niece for Chuck and I named Dylan.  Can’t wait to meet her in person.  And I am adding new gray hairs every day because Allie has her first high school boyfriend.  Jesus be near.  She is also getting involved in Young Life – where Jesus IS near – and had fun at their annual Crud War.  A massive outdoor food fight the likes of which her clothes and our car interior may never recover from.

 

Chuck and I went to the theater on a double date to see the Downton Abbey movie.  After months and months of waiting, it did not disappoint.  At home we watched the John Crist comedy special I Got Questions and Too Funny to Fail – a documentary about the rise and fall of The Dana Carvey Show.  I always loved his characters.  I read Giddy Up, Eunice:  Because Women Need Each Other.  I was ready for a light and funny snack and I love the podcast the author Sophie Hudson does with Melanie Shankle.  I’ve also started reading, and discussing with a friend, Sharing Love Abundantly in Special Needs Families:  The 5 Love Languages for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities by Gary Chapman and Jolene Philo.

 

I finished the month by turning another year older.  I am now officially closer to 50 than to 40.  A moment to cry about that, please.  But I got to celebrate with a girls’ weekend and then with my twin sister and PawPaw surrounded by family.  I can’t think of a better place to be, and I’m so grateful.  I’d love to hear what you did this month.  What you read or what you watched.  Drop me a comment below.  And don’t forget, I love you, I thank you, and I hope October treats you well.

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of sharing it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!

 

And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

 

 

Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

Dumpster Fire Day

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Last night my husband said, “We need to talk about tomorrow morning.  I need to be at work at 6:30.”  I said, “I don’t guess we really need to talk about it.  I just need to take Allie to school.”  And we went to bed.  I guess we should have talked about it some more, because I woke up this morning at 7:19, about the time we usually leave the house to take Allie to school.  Both of the kids were still asleep.

 

I darted into Supermom mode and roused the girls while stepping into clothes for work.  I got Shelby dressed and brushed her hair and microwaved breakfast sandwiches for us all to eat in the car (thank you, God for convenience foods).  I got Allie (who said she would do her hair at school) to school on time and careened onto my street to see Shelby’s bus already parked in front of my house and waiting.  I pulled up beside the driver to ask him to move the bus so I could pull into my driveway to get my daughter safely out of the car and onto the yellow dog.  I ran up to the house and grabbed her back pack and sent her on her way.

 

I then had 15 minutes to change from house shoes to real ones, put on make-up, fix my hair, make coffee (priorities) and grab my lunch to get out the door.  I cut a few corners on the make-up (who am I kidding anyway) and was miraculously about to jump in the car with no seconds to spare – when I saw it.  Shelby’s anti-seizure meds still sitting on the counter.  I deflated like an old balloon.  I called my boss as I jumped in my Toyota and apologized while telling her I had to make a stop at my daughter’s school and would be late.

 

I made it in 30 minutes late to a day so busy and hectic that I got to go relieve myself only once and had a few seconds to heat up my lunch before returning to my desk to scarf it down.  The one time I did go to the john, I looked in the mirror and saw the horror that was the bra/ shirt combo I had chosen.  I worked an extra 40 minutes (maybe making up for the morning), leaving with just enough time to get to Allie’s school for pick up.  After taking her straight to a neighborhood babysitting job, I pulled up to my house the same time as Shelby’s caseworker with whom I had an appointment.  I let her in the service entrance (a.k.a the garage) with me and Allie’s dog Monkey escaped like a convict with a taste of freedom.  I ushered the case worker in and then proceeded to chase this demon chihuahua down the street until I gave up and came back to greet my guest – a disheveled mess (me, not her).

 

Monkey came back and scratched at the door a few minutes later (“It’s not so bad living in our cool, cozy house, is it you ingrate?”), and I wrapped up the meeting with MHMR just in time to visit the little cowgirl’s room for only the second time today before shoving Shelby back in the car to go to speech therapy.  If you didn’t catch that she was home with me, it’s because I can’t remember when, in between all this other stuff, I got her off the bus.  And now after arriving home, making dinner, cleaning up the kitchen and helping my husband look for his keys, I am finally sitting in my favorite chair and almost relaxed.

 

Why did I tell you all of this?  Because just in case I have EVER given you the impression here on my blog that I have all my chili together, I want to assure you that

I am just like you. ONLY WORSE.

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.  The End.

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